When a heavy hitting environmental news organization like National Geographic publishes an article, many in the general population assume it's accurate, without questioning the statistics given. For marine aquarists, this article is of particular interest, as it...
I get all sorts of mud thrown in my direction when I suggest that the practices of the aquarium trade, and even the practices of individual hobbyists, threaten our ability to keep reef aquariums as a whole. Many aquarists think I am just trying to point fingers, and...
In 2003 the marine aquarium world was taken by storm, thanks to the release of the Disney film Finding Nemo. Suddenly, the clownfish was forever cemented as a children’s film icon, and kids all over the world wanted a “Nemo” of their own. Sadly, in 2003, the rise of...
Regardless of species, as hard corals grow, they consume more and more calcium carbonate from the water. It’s vital that the water housing corals has enough calcium available, along with the correct measure of carbonate hardness. Without this, corals cannot properly...
One of my goals when writing about the aquarium hobby, is to help people become educated consumers. The world of retail (retail on anything, not just aquarium livestock) is often designed to encourage people to make fast decisions, build-up excitement and enact a...
For a long time, aquarists have wanted to keep jellyfish. In the past, it seemed like an impossible feat. Not because jellyfish are particularly sensitive to aquarium life, but because their jelly like (boneless) bodies have the terrible habit of getting stuck in...
I’ve been playing with the Fishbit monitor now for a while. What I’ve found is a straightforward, easy to use device that could certainly help beginner and intermediate reef keepers monitor their tanks. From a monitoring perspective, the Fishbit doesn’t offer anything...
For the past few months I’ve been chatting with Nathan Levine, the founder of Current Labs and primary visionary behind Fishbit. As many of us know, Fishbit aims to be a simple, easy to install, trouble-free aquarium monitor and controller. In conversations with...
Online coral shopping can be tricky; if you’re looking for a fair price, healthy livestock and straight-forward deals. To make matters worse, everywhere you look on social media and online forums, there is a flash sale with some unknown vendor either offering...
Our fish are slimy. If you’ve ever bumped one of your aquatic charges with your hand, or picked one up, you’ve noticed that layer of slime coating. Many additives that are intended to reduce stress in captive fish also claim to enhance the slime coat. Believe it or...